Greetings from Hong Kong

Wow, Hong Kong.

I had no particular thoughts about the city before I went there just after Christmas, but I loved it. What a nice place. Sure, a bit expensive (a bit much) but the atmosphere is great. The weather was nice, and the scenery great. Plus, it's so easy to get around. Buses, taxis, metros and ferries can just take you anywhere.

Although Hong Kong has been a part of China again since 1997, it is Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region), so we had to go through customs to go from China to Hong Kong.

What surprised me was that while 95 percent of the city is ethnic Chinese, the city still is so different from other Chinese cities. I guess the British have had some influence beyond shipping opium to China or eating fruit cake at Christmas time.

 

Looking down to Hong Kong island from Kowloon. (Kowloon is part of Hong Kong also, but it's on the main land, not Hong Kong island.)



Taking the Peak tram up the hill -- a classic ride that tourists have made since the tram opened service in the 1880s. The Peak was the place to escape the city's hot summers.

Photo from www.thepeak.com.hk

The original way to travel up the Peak.

  

View from the top.

Local resident.

Hanging out at Stanley Park.

Another "city of lights."

A visit to Ocean Park.

 

 Oh, where to go first?

I thought Ocean Park had an excellent layout and lots of green, lots of fun, and lots of animals. To get from one side of the park you could take a cable car up and over the mountain.

A closer look at sealife. (or "proC-life"?)

Fun for young and old!

Fun for black and white. (Do you think he knows he is in a zoo?)

You can take the metro anywhere! -- even home.

In het nederlands: In de kerstvakantie bezoeken we Hong Kong. Ik vind het een erg leuke stad. Het is duidelijk dat Hong Kong wel Chinees is... maar toch ook weer helemaal niet. De stad doet toch heel anders aan dan andere steden in China. Het was ook heerlijk weer en we konden lekker wat bijkomen van de koude winter in Beijing.